The purpose of this application is to request funding for a five-year period to continue the international symposia and invited speakers held in conjunction with the Midwinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO). The aims of these symposia and speakers are to identify emerging areas of research and technologies; review and update relevant but peripheral areas of research; educate young researchers; encourage the participation of international scientists; discuss controversial research issues not usually covered by more traditional meetings; encourage the cross-breeding of disciplines to stimulate unique research approaches; and propose ways of solving current problems in communication disorders. These goals are to be pursued for both basic and clinical science topics in otolaryngology. Plans for the 1994 symposia are described, and the names of international scientists who have agreed to participate are listed. Since it would be premature to state specifically what topics will be chosen for the remaining years, a list of suggested topics has been compiled. Timely symposia topics are chosen by the ARO President-Elect from members' suggestions, after review by the Program Advisory Committee, and with advice of the ARO Council, to assure their continued quality and timely significance to communicative disorders and the mission of NIDCD. Additional support is requested to partially reimburse the travel costs for a small number of outstanding residents and minority pre-and postdoctoral fellows to attend the Midwinter Meeting. A procedure for choosing these scientists is described in the proposal. A five-year request is being made to allow ARO to plan the conferences so as to recruit the best national and international participants and to organize the conferences well in advance. It will also allow the ARO to present timely international conferences at a low cost and in an informal atmosphere which encourages free exchange of information and the participation of young researchers as well as established career investigators.